Johan Helmich Roman i källornas ljus

Abstract

The aim of this article is to shed some light on the life of the Swedish composer and Master of the Royal Chapel Johan Helmich Roman (1694–1758). Research on Roman has concentrated on his works, career and public life, but not much has been done concerning his biography. We know little about the human Roman and his thouhgts. We can see the outline of his life and work, but the interaction between thought and deed is largely unknown to us. The article contains a presentation of the book Johan Helmich Roman. Liv och verk genom samtida ögon. Dokumentens vittnesbörd (Kungl. Musikaliska akademiens skriftserie nr 78; Stockholm 1994), which
discusses the known sources to Roman’s life and work. The central part of the article briefly gives Roman’s curriculum vitae, and the article concludes with a discussion of Roman’s role in the Age of Enlightenment in Sweden.